Motorcycling in the Emerald Isle – make life a ride. Part 1.
Last time I was in Ireland was just over a year ago, when I travelled there on my BMW F800R. That had been my fourth trip to Ireland in the 12 months prior to that. The shift in the weather and my wife’s continued good recovery from an odd accident had me thinking it was the right time for a short break. As with last years short break, I was only really thinking of heading to Scotland or Ireland.
In addition to last years (2023 trip) if you want to see more from my travels in Ireland you can check out pictures and words from a couple of visits in 2022. You can check out the first trip here and the second trip here.
I also spent an excellent time there later in 2022 when my wife and I spent a couple of weeks traveling by car.
On that trip we stayed in three very different but quite superb locations. There are plenty of pictures and information from that trip over on the rainycity blog – here’s the link to Part One of that trip.
Late decision
For this trip I opted to head to Ireland.
That decision was due in part to not really being able to find places in Scotland that: either suited where I wanted to go, were available or were sensible value.
In some respects making a late decision to travel impacted on choice, and that of course is down to me.
Value rather than affordability
Even taking into account that I was looking for accommodation at short notice and it being peak holiday season, some of the prices for accommodation in Scotland were (in my opinion) excessive and presented poor value.
Almost on a point of principle there is a limit to what I’ll pay for a B&B. Of course and as ever, there were some terrific properties at sensible prices but I just couldn’t get a match up that suited me in the places I wanted to travel to.
My decision to opt for Ireland was made partly on value rather than affordability because once the cost of the ferry to Ireland is factored in, the average daily cost was more than it would have been had I opted for Scotland.
A bed for the night?
I booked a return sailing on the Stena Line crossing from Holyhead to Dublin. Experience has shown that the 09:00am sailing is the one that suits me best.
Check in time is a minimum of 40 minutes before the ferry departs. A typical journey for me from home to Holyhead takes a little over two hours, which means I’d need really to be on the road before 06:00am to get there on time and with some contingency for delays etc.
I thought if I could get somewhere at the last minute I would head off on Saturday and stay overnight.
Given I was only really starting to look on Saturday morning it was no surprise that places were at a premium. I was struggling to find anywhere at less than about £100/£120 for the night. As I really wanted nothing more than a bed for the night I decided to leave the idea of travelling on Saturday and just opt for an early Sunday start.
One last ‘phone call and the Gwesty Holland
My wife and I decided to head off for a walk and after a half mile or so, despite not having made progress earlier I thought I would make one last ‘phone call to the Holland Hotel. The call was a result with an available room at the very decent rate of £55 for bed and breakfast.
We cut our walk short, headed home and I finished packing up and was off for around 4pm and was checked in at the Gwesty Holland by about 6.20pm.
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The Gwesty Holland is located on Valley Road in the village of Llanfachraeth and just about seven miles from the ferry port at Holyhead.
Although my bike was left in an open car park I never felt concerned about it and overall – would probably say that this was the best place I’ve stayed at in Anglesey when travelling to Ireland. Friendly; good value; close to the port and great service from the staff – who could ask for more?
If the single exam question is would I stay there again, then the answer is a resounding yes.
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Only three bikes and a smooth crossing
Check in for the ferry was routine and as ever bikes were on first.
On this occasion there were only two other bikes. One was two up with a couple heading out for a short break on a very comfortable looking Triumph America. The other guy like me was travelling solo (he was riding a BMW 850 GS). We chatted as you do and the guy on the GS had recently done a couple of weeks in Norway and up to the Arctic Circle … which sounded pretty interesting (and quite expensive).
I’ve always found the deck hands on the Stena Line ferries to be really helpful and efficient at getting the bikes strapped down. It seemed that no time at all my bike was secured and I was sat in the Stena Plus lounge sipping coffee before the first cars had started to board.
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The crossing was smooth and on time and I was off the boat and on my way with no problems. My destination was Stranolar on the banks of the River Finn in Co. Donegal and about 140 miles or so from Dublin. The ride there was good and enjoyable rather than spectacular and thrilling. It’s probably worth noting, that when leaving the ferry port of Dublin if you want to avoid the busy city centre be sure to follow the signs for the tunnel – it’s an absolute must. I made the mistake of going through the city centre on my first trip there, and it really is quite a chore.
Decent accommodation for a couple of nights
I had booked into the Kees Hotel in Stranolar. The hotel is a very decent family-run hotel and one that was established in the 19th century as a coach house. I had a good room to sleep in, a decent pint of beer and somewhere pleasant to sit and enjoy the evening sunshine.
With the prospect of good weather the following morning it was a decent end to the first day of this short trip. I had decided that if the weather held up after breakfast I would head for Killarney, Kenmare and the Healy Pass.
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Lovely pics.